


Epilogue

by tipsytennant29



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: Anxiety, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, References to Depression, Sex, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-05-19 01:32:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14864114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tipsytennant29/pseuds/tipsytennant29
Summary: After the remaining Millenium Items are finally destroyed, Yugi and his friends must move on and finally begin the lives they were meant to lead. But where do they go from here? And what is Kaiba up to with the Millenium Cube?





	1. Mazaki Anzu - "The Mistake"

The room spun round and round, a blue of white walls, wood floors, and a floor length mirror. It went by so fast, but one corner lingered slightly longer than the others. 

Anzu closed her eyes as she finished the last of the pirouettes, twirling her arms in a dramatic flourish. She used her momentum to leap into a side grand jete, before landing and finishing the routine on pointe. 

Her toes hurt from the pressure, as she’d spent much of the day rehearsing for tomorrow’s big audition. She’d waited her whole life to be able to dance as the lead in _Dark Magic Dream_ , the Duel Monsters themed Broadway musical. Now that she was finally living in New York, and training with one of the best ballet coaches in America, her goal finally seemed within grasp. 

But her calloused feet weren’t her main concern. As she slowly lowered herself back onto the flats of her feet, she was overcome by yet another wave of nausea. A hand flew to her mouth as she struggled to choke back the bile that bubbled up her throat. But swallowing only made her feel worse. Dashing madly to the bathroom, she barely made it to the toilet before the contents of her stomach were forcefully ejected from her body. 

She retched by the porcelain seat for several minutes, gripping the lid with white knuckles as her whole body shook. It had been this way the whole week -- nausea and vomiting that seemed exacerbated by her dance practices. Other than these small bouts of sickness, however, Anzu felt fine. It couldn’t have been the flu, she reasoned. No fever or chills or body aches. 

Flushing the toilet, she collapsed back against the tiled wall with a huff. A guess, a notion as to why this was happening, flit around in the back of her mind like a moth about a flame. But she didn’t want it to be true, _prayed_ that it was just her imagination. It would mess everything up if--

She stroked a hand over her stomach, noting the bloat around her middle. Her leotard had been fitting a bit more snuggly, but she’d chalked it up to pre-period symptoms. It wasn’t unheard of, to gain a little weight at the end of her cycle, but this time it seemed to be more substantial. 

_I could be pregnant_ , she shivered, clutching her belly. It seemed more and more likely with each passing day. She needed to buy a test on the way home. 

Her head tilted back, gently hitting the tile in a rhythmic denial. Her eyes pinched shut, and she released a tense breath. 

It had been a little over a month since Christmas...since she was last in Japan. She’d flown home for the holiday, to see her parents and her friends. To check in and catch up with Jonouchi, Honda, Otogi, Bakura...and Yugi. 

_Yugi,_ she sighed internally, her expression twisting into one of guilt and apprehension. 

They’d been messaging and texting every day for the past five months. Ever since Atem made his reappearance, and they’d all almost died at Aigami’s hands. The two of them had always been close, but the shared trauma of Atem’s loss seemed to bring them even closer. There were things even she didn’t understand about his bond with the Pharaoh...after all, it was a deeply intricate and complex relationship. An intimacy that sometimes made her jealous. 

Many nights, they stayed awake until dawn broke across the horizon, and the sun blinked to life in weakened, orange bursts. Sometimes they didn’t even have anything to say - it just felt better knowing someone was there. A validation of that invisible tether that connected them across oceans and continents. A wordless acknowledgement, as if to say, “No, you’re not crazy. I was there. It happened.”

She had flown home a few days before Christmas. Yugi was there to pick her up at Narita International airport, a shy blush darkening his cheeks. Their hug was awkward, almost _alien_. They’d spent so long as electronic ghosts in each other’s lives, it was strange to be back in each other’s presence again. He opened the car door for her, helping her into his aged, pale silver Honda Fit. After putting her luggage away in the trunk, they drove the forty-five minutes to Domino City in uncomfortable silence. Only the faint, twinkling tune of the radio dared interject, singing a soulful ballad about lost love. Snowflakes stuck to the windshield, tessellations of ice that sparkled as the warm glow of the streetlights pulsed over them. 

When he pulled up outside her parents’ house - a modest, two story townhouse hedged behind an English-style garden - he let the car idle a moment. Their eyes met, and his hand found hers, his thumb tracing over her ivory skin. It looked so tan compared to hers, dappled with pale and pink burn scars. The difference suddenly seemed so distinct...and it finally struck her, how much he’d changed. 

Yugi drove now. That shy kid who refused to get behind a wheel, who always bribed Jonouchi to take him across town...he sat beside her, tucked behind the steering column. His car wasn’t glamorous, but it was... _him_. It suited him. And those wide, purple eyes that used to seem so childlike to her? They’d become hardened, sharper. Like he’d spent more time frowning than smiling. Even his voice had deepened, settling into a much more even, natural tone. 

He looked...like Atem. 

Anzu shook her head, trying to clear the thought. It...he...wasn’t Atem. Atem was gone forever. He’d taken the puzzle and destroyed it, so he couldn’t come back to their world ever again. 

She wished she could look at his face, and not see little reminders...memories...of Atem. The wrinkle, the indent in the space between his eyebrows? A permanent scar from Atem’s characteristic scowl. The crease etched into the left corner of his mouth? A gift from Atem’s smirks. She even swore she could see an echo of red deep in those irises. 

“I’m glad you’re home,” he whispered, giving her hand a squeeze. But it didn’t break the spell. A shiver coursed up her spine, electric and intense. 

Almost without thinking, she kissed him. Grabbed the nape of his neck and pulled him towards her, their mouths clashing as she tasted his lips. There was a lingering impression of soba noodles and soy sauce, and it reminded her of _home_. For the first time in months, she began to feel that maybe...America wasn’t the place for her. 

Yugi blinked, his eyes fluttering with surprise. This hadn’t been the reaction he’d expected, but it wasn’t unwelcome. With a soft moan, he leaned into it, folding his arms around her, tracing the soft, silky skin of her shoulders. He’d been waiting for this kiss...for decades. And now that things were different...now that Atem was gone...it felt like it was finally meant for him. 

She fumbled with his shirt between breathy kisses, undoing buttons with a hungry urgency. Giving up halfway down the column, her fingers traced his chest, pressing against the lean muscles beneath his skin. A smile and a small chuckle caught in her throat as she marveled at the definition. Yugi was solid, and stronger. Breaking their passionate momentum, she slid down to rest her head against his torso. To listen to his steady heartbeat. 

The sound was familiar and entrancing. She recalled being inside that heart, filled with Escher-esque stairwells and doors to nowhere, and wondered if it still looked the same. 

“Do you want to come inside?” she found herself asking. Couldn’t believe she said it, but found herself curious about his answer all the same. 

He pulled back, physically registering his surprise. Eyes wide but guarded. “I...uh…”

She instantly regretted asking. It had been a bad idea. As she withdrew, she adjusted his shirt, pinching the material closed in a half-hearted gesture. “I’m sorry, that was…”

“No!” he interjected, catching her face in his hands. “No, I... _want_ to.” Those irises danced with hesitance, and then resolve. 

Anzu found she’d missed that fiery determination and commitment. A small smile curled her lips. “Okay then.”

After exiting the car, she led him up the garden path, hands intertwined. Her bags were dropped in the foyer, the door kicked shut behind them. Together, they all but ran up to her second floor bedroom, skipping steps with wordless excitement. Collapsing hard on the bed, they tangled together in a mess of energy and desperation. 

The years seemed to rewind, melting away between the bedsheets. Dissolving back to that one night on the cliffs of Duelist Kingdom, when Mai had set them up on an unofficial date. Back when Yugi and Anzu sat together stargazing, and she’d told him that she...that she loved _him_. Back when her hand found his, and they’d nearly shared their first kiss. 

Their feelings for each other had always been messy. Par for the course with two so awkward and naive, and their sex reflected that. From the outside, Anzu looked like she was a girl who knew her way around a bedroom. Curvy, impulsive and brash, she gave off an air of assertive dominance. But secretly? She was self-conscious, private, and shy when it came to her own feelings. And Yugi? His personality was written all over his face and his body language. Atem had left him more self-assured, more confident, but part of him were still innocent, hesitant, and pliant. He looked more than willing to draw back into his own head, and hide deep inside himself...but the puzzle couldn’t grant him that escape anymore.

“Yugi,” Anzu breathed, gasping between thrusts. And in some dark, distant corner of her mind, she thought about what this moment would have been like if both boys still shared one body…

When morning broke and spilled through the muslin curtains of her childhood bedroom, only one body was left in bed. Anzu had left earlier, quietly slipping into her platform sandals as she shrugged into her favorite white blazer. Although she’d cleaned well, she could still feel his semen seeping out of her, uncomfortably wetting her underwear. An embarrassed blush reddened her cheeks, as she realized they hadn’t stopped to use a condom. It had all happened so fast…

She’d wanted to escape, to run away and be alone with her thoughts. To process the events that unfolded the night before. It was a convenient excuse to need to run to the store. But after she picked up Plan B, and taken her pill? She’d have to face Yugi again eventually. They’d have to talk about it all, and what their one night stand meant…

But she never did. 

She spent those two weeks over Christmas dodging Yugi’s calls and texts. Delaying and delaying the inevitable, going out of her way to scale the back garden wall whenever he came knocking at her parents’ house. She knew it wasn’t fair to him, and yet...she couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eyes and tell him how she really felt. 

Miho and Mai had been unwitting accomplices, accommodating her uncharacteristic clinginess near constant trips to the mall and on movie dates. They steered clear of Burger World, even though Anzu was nostalgic and eager to drop by and see her old boss. But Yugi would undoubtedly be there. He always was. Talking cards with Jonouchi, Honda and Bakura...that was his world. And hers? It was thousands of miles away, back in a cramped loft and a mirrored dance studio off 9th and Broadway. 

So she returned, flying back without a word. Ghosting back to her alien universe of possibilities in the Big Apple. No one knew her past there, and they never would. It was a clean slate, and she’d finally embrace it this time around. 

And just as she had been about to finally sink into her life in America...finally dance and study and focus on what really mattered...her mistakes finally came around to bite her. 

As she’d mentally spun, reminiscing about her Christmas dalliance, she’d shrugged on her winter coat and braved the frigid temperatures as she walked to the corner drug store. She’d bought a handful of pregnancy tests, as well as a bag of chips, trying not to make eye contact with the clerk as he rang up each box, a judgmental pucker pursing his lips. 

And after stress eating the whole bag of chips as she walked back to her tiny apartment, she beelined for the bathroom. Drinking cup after cup of water, she willed the need to pee, her knees rocking, restless, as the time dragged on. 

Maybe the whole thing would blow over, and her sickness was just guilt and nerves?

Finally, her bladder caught on and started to empty. Quickly uncapping the first test, she thrusts an arm between her legs, catching just enough of the stream to start the test. 

Balancing the test on the edge of the counter, she anxiously fidgets as the two minutes crawl by. She picks at the dirt underneath her fingernails, and tries to resist the urge to play with her hair. 

Pinching her eyes shut, she focuses on her breathing. Summons the will she once had, a faith that once seemed to bend the universe in her...and Yugi’s...favor.

_Please, heart of the cards...God...somebody...please let it be negative._

But that was back when magic still existed. When the supernatural was a part of their daily lives. And now?...

Her two minutes was up. 

There, on that pink and white test, was a big, fat plus sign. Brightly colored and red. Unmistakable. 

_**Shit.** _


	2. Kaiba Seto - "Intertwined Souls"

The same dream came to Seto Kaiba every night. And it came tonight, as it had every night for the last year, quietly haunting him with vivid scenes that felt so real, they had to be memories.

Desert heat bakes his skin as he surveys the ruins around him. He stands in the midst of a crumbling structure, between fallen columns and damaged limestone walls. Instinctively, he knew this place was once a grand palace -- one that felt comfortable, like it had been his home once.

His garb is foreign, a long white and blue tunic that is stiff and overly-starched. It’s been soiled in several places, stained with dirt and blood in several places. He’s not sure if it’s his own blood or someone else’s. 

A familiar figure, a young man, stood some feet away, surveying the destruction around them. Perched on the edge of a cliff, he gazed out at the town below, a forlorn expression darkening his features. A deep purple cape flutters in the hot wind, its rustling the only sound in an otherwise silent scene. 

The man turns to face him, his deep red eyes meeting Seto’s. They’re sharp, squinted with an incredible intensity. His skin is tanned, a faded ocher color, which complements his wild, tri-colored hair. Tangles of deep brown, almost black hair frame his face. Streaks of blonde run through the longer locks by his cheeks, and a deep maroon color tinges the back. It seems unnatural, this combination, but fits the young man well. 

“It's time,” he murmurs, removing a golden pendant around from his neck. The Millennium Puzzle. Seto’s eyes widen with realization. 

“Pharaoh…” he breathes, his words almost autonomous. 

True, the young man looked regal, adorned in gold bands and an elaborate diadem. There was just something about him that looked...off. Something he couldn't place. A distant memory of this man’s face in another place. Another time. And somehow that seemed more familiar. 

Dark clouds gather overhead, blocking out the sunlight. The valley below them is plunged into an eternal night, and a great monster appears out of the darkness. It roars, flattening homes beneath its giant feet as it stalks towards the palace ruins. 

“The Egyptian Gods are no match for the mighty Zorc. Your reign is over, Pharaoh. Akenamkanon’s dynasty comes to a close at last,” the creature growls, a long-necked dragon head whipping around its waist. 

“Seto, after I'm gone, my throne passes to you,” the Pharaoh explains, holding the Millenium Puzzle with shaking hands. “Understand?”

Seto feels his jaw fall open, his response catching in his throat. He stumbles numbly towards the king, hand outstretched. 

“Repair Egypt. Restore honor to our family name, and protect our people,” the king instructs, a weak smile trembling his lips. He takes a deep breath, steadying himself, before turning to the monster, to Zorc. 

He calls out hieratic, ancient words, which ring loudly across the valley. The monster stops dead in its tracks, freezing as it processes the words. Translating their meaning. 

“No!” Zorc roars, reaching for the king. 

The Pharaoh plunges a hand into his chest, and pulls out a small, white orb. It gives off a warm glow, a pure light in the darkness. 

As his eyes dull and lose their spark, he uses the last of his energy to merge his soul with the Millenium Puzzle. As the orb comes into contact with the gold metal, an explosion of light erupts from the pendant. 

“In the name of the Pharaoh, I seal the darkness. May the sands of time swallow you and extinguish your evil,” the young man yells, his voice wavering only slightly. Then steeling himself, a flood of tears leak from his blank eyes as he cries, “My name is Atem!”

Suddenly everything goes white. Blinding, all-encompassing white, blanching the world and erasing everything in it. 

Somewhere, something breaks. A loud, metallic sound echoes through space, as the Millennium Puzzle shatters. Gold pieces rain down into the sand, as Pharaoh Atem’s body goes limp. His legs give out, and gravity pulls him to the ground. Like a marionette doll whose strings have been cut, the empty shell falls to the desert floor, lying still amongst the broken puzzle’s parts.

Seto rushes to his king’s side, pulling his body into his lap as he cradles his cousin's head. Atem’s blood smears off onto his hands and his tunic as he grieves his lost family. 

“I will find you, I promise,” he sobs, pushing Atem’s empty eyes shut. “I will set you free. Our souls will meet again, and I will repay this debt to you.”

\--

Seto Kaiba awakens with a start, a sheen of sweat dewing his brow. He pants, breathing hard as he struggles to push the dream out of his mind. 

The burning sands and the sun-scorched Egyptian valley still seem so visceral, just out of reach. He shakes his head, willing the memories to fade. A nightly ritual that's grown cumbersome as the months drag on. 

He turns over, stretching across his king-sized mattress as he reaches for his alarm clock. Shifting it on the nightstand so he can see the time, he clocks the late hour. **3:12 AM.** The numbers are bright red and angry, piercing through the bleariness of sleep. 

Rising from bed, Seto shrugs into a pale blue robe. Its material is slippery, a shiny silk textile that moves like a breeze. He pads down the empty, vaulted hallways of his isolated apartment, situated high above Domino City. 

Floor-to-ceiling windows reveal a breathtaking view of his hometown. Although currently shrouded in a marine layer of nighttime fog, he can still make out the yellow gold lights of the downtown district, and of the pulsing red lights of the harbor beyond. He feels almost like a God, looking down on the insectile citizens as they travel and work and sleep. Literally above it all, hiding away in the clouds at the top of Kaiba Corp Tower. 

Elsewhere in the grandiose apartment, his younger brother Mokuba sleeps soundly. Tonight was a rare occasion, an evening where both brothers were able to go to bed at a reasonable hour. And in their own rooms, no less! 

Too many nights, one or both boys ended up sleeping in their office chairs, or in some dark corner of a basement lab after long days of research. Seto was always pushing the boundaries of their technology, always seeking perfection and improvement in their products. He wouldn't settle for anything short of the best -- after all, it was his name on the side of each machine. 

Although he craved his brother’s company, Seto let Mokuba sleep. He knew he would only protest, and try to talk him out of whatever ballsy, inane experiments that popped into his head. Little could be done to stop Seto when he got that gleam in his eyes. Like an insatiable itch, he had to commit to whatever desire and see it through,else desperation drive him mad. 

He boards the elevator, and swipes his key card. After typing in a passcode, the metal capsule then rockets up the long, glass hydraulic tube. It stretches up into the atmosphere, through the upper layers of clouds and air and into the endless void of space. Stars swirl around him as the Earth falls away beneath his slippered feet. Strands of his muddy brown hair drift loosely in the weakened gravity, but he thinks nothing of it. The awe and wonder of space have long since left his heart. Rather, he looks out and sees a reflection of his soul -- cold, empty, dark. Eternally missing something, separated from all living things by miles and light years.

The capsuled elevator begins to slow, braking as it draws close to Kaiba Corp’s space station. It was an ostentatious, audacious hunk of metal, hammered and shaped into his initials. Politicians and councilmen debated it as he built it hundreds of miles above their heads, all the while smirking. Their arguments and disapproval meant nothing. He was Seto Kaiba, and he did as he pleased. Money was no object. 

The elevator locks into place, adjusting pressure as the doors swish open. An artificial gravity simulator helps keep his sense of balance and movement normalized, and he boards the station with ease. Behind him, the capsule elevator shoots back down the hydraulic tube, hurtling quickly towards Earth.

Cold white lights power on as Seto moves through the space station, illuminating the expansive, minimalist lab stations he uses for his private research. In one corner, his Real-Tek duel simulator sits abandoned, humming quietly in low-power mode. A digital echo of his long-time rival, the Pharaoh, lives inside the machine, waiting to be revived. But interacting with this version of Atem always left Seto feeling hollow. Unfulfilled. 

Next, he passes by a prototype pod, a silver and black metal vehicle adapted from the husks of his virtual reality machines. The Duel Dimension System he adapted to work in conjunction with Diva’s Quantum Cube. It had been successful to a point, and he’d been able to temporarily gain access to the Netherworld. But he lost valuable time as he wandered the Egyptian desert, searching for the Valley of the Kings. 

The living do not mesh with the dead, and the strain of his existence in that realm was a heavy toll. He fought through agonizing pain as his life force was eaten away. While he refused to admit it, he knew the pain clouded his judgement. And when the mistakes and bad calls began to pile up, his victory seemed ever more out of grasp. 

While their duel never concluded -- Kaiba had been forced to crawl back into his own reality -- he knew deep in his heart he would have lost. And knowing that? How could he just let things lie? His soul would never rest unless he was able to meet the Pharaoh again, and finally prove himself worthy. 

If his dreams were to be believed, this promise is what’s tied them together across time and space. A blood bond between brothers in arms. 

Desperate desire fueled his every waking hour, propelling him through the weeks and months as he sought to find a way back to that place. The Netherworld, floating just out of reach in a plane beyond their own. And that stubborn Quantum Cube? It had turned gray and faded, shutting down and lying dormant for the better part of a year. The key...no...the door between worlds sealed itself off, rebelling against Seto’s incessant prodding and poking. With the rest of the Millenium Items gone, it was his last hope. 

So he diverted all of his power, his wealth, and his resources towards jump-starting the cube again. Coils and wires and pipes snake towards the cube, suspended in a zero-gravity containment field. Locked safely behind four inch bullet-proof glass, only Seto had been allowed to physically handle it. Even Mokuba was forbidden from touching the cube’s sleek gray finish -- a decision made more out of caution than from greed. 

It was better this way. Because he couldn’t uphold the validity of his theories. He was adrift in the sea of experimental science, and the unpredictability of his hypotheses both aroused and frightened him. At this point though, it was too late to turn back. The only way forward would be forged with fire and destruction. But he would achieve his goal. 

_Wait for me, Atem_. He thinks, his brow furrowing with focus. 

His fingers nimbly flip switches across a command console, powering on multiple readout screens. Data populates the graphs, automatically adjusting as the containment field hums to life. 

_I will get to you. Even if I have to tear down reality to do it._


	3. Mutou Yugi - "Prayers to the Lost"

Chimes twinkle as they twist in the summer breeze, dancing to their own melancholic tune. Omamori flutter along with the bells, brightly colored and flashing in the sunlight. Decorative patterns of chrysanthemums and kanji line the envelopes, flashing silver and gold metallics. Overall, there’s a sense of warmth, a comfortable heat that radiates from the neat, stone paths around Domino’s local shrine. 

Yugi climbs the stairway, heading up towards the bright red, shrine gate. A giant wooden archway, it protects and separates the shrine’s grounds from the surrounding city. It seems almost like an ethereal gateway, separating the modern world from the past. It’s fitting, considering what most come here to do. 

Elderly and children alike populate the shrine’s courtyard, the younger ones flitting to and fro between Star Festival stalls. The smell of takoyaki and sweet bread permeates the air, a familiar and nostalgic fragrance. Laughter peals through the courtyard, an unexpected uplifting soundtrack to an otherwise somber day for Yugi. 

He crosses by elderly couples, seated on the wooden benches by the rock garden. Notes their satisfied smiles, as they grasp each other’s hands. A lump builds in his throat and he clenches his free hand, balling it as he becomes suddenly conscious of his loneliness. Ever more aware of the missing weight around his neck, and the shadow of the girl who never used to leave his side. 

He approaches the honden, sweeping aside the translucent red curtain as he enters the sanctuary. Votive candles line tiered shelves on the left and right sides, which radiate a warm, flickering golden glow. A large wall scroll hangs from the back wall, plain white with pitch blank ink calligraphy. Below that, sits a simple stone pillar engraved with a prayer.

Drawing two incense sticks from a nearby holder, Yugi lights the ends with one of the candles. He snuffs the budding twin flames out, watching as the smoke curls towards the ceiling in thin, wispy tendrils. Placing them delicately in the holder, he then takes a piece of rice paper from the pile, and begins to write out a letter to the departed. 

His lips move as he sounds out his closest friend’s name. It’s not Japanese, so it trips over his language’s phonetics. He writes the Katakana in neat strokes, each movement careful and intentional. 

_Atem._

His heart brims with sadness as he completes his other self’s true name. It aches with an emptiness, as if a piece of it has been cut away. Time has helped heal the wound, but in some moments, the scar on his soul bleeds, and the silence within it seems deafening. 

Yugi reaches out, placing a hand on the stone pillar. He closes his eyes, trying to focus on their bond. To stoke the ashes within his mind, and try and reignite some connection. Dimensions stood between them, he knew that...but he had to at least make an attempt. 

_Other me_ , he calls out, hearing his own words echo back inside his empty head. _Are you there?_

The sound of chirping cicadas fill his ears, deafening as he sits in absolute stillness. 

He releases a long sigh, as his hand slides down the stone. It drops limply back into his lap, and he stares down at this knees with a lost, somber expression. 

Before long, he takes up the pen again, and continues writing on the omamori. 

_July 7th. It’s been a year now -- the anniversary of our ceremonial duel. The day you left us...left me. I know you’re in a better place now, and you’re finally free. But it still feels like half a life without you here._

Outside the sanctuary, fallen cherry blossoms swirl in the summer breeze. A few stutter, as if coming into contact with something invisible, before tumbling away.

_Remember when we talked about Spherium? Well, I’ve decided to make it. Finally, right? Kaiba wants to invest in it -- he thinks it has potential. And the programming classes at Domino City College are really helping me get a handle on 3D rendering._

Footsteps appear and fade on the stone floor, chalky white like sand. They inch towards Yugi, pausing just behind his right elbow. 

_I wish we could play together again. Like we did on those calm nights after school, when the world wasn’t going crazy. I miss just even hearing your voice in my head. But I hope you’re happy and I wish you all the best. You’re always in my thoughts._

Yugi signs his name, and then folds the rice paper into a decorative envelope. A thin, yellow string threads through the metal hole at the top of the envelope, which he uses to tie the omamori shut.

Rising to his feet, he then bows reverentially in front of the altar. He holds the sign of respect longer than he normally would, whispering a thank you to the shrine’s protector. With a curt nod, he then turns on his heel and walks back out into the courtyard. 

Behind him, unobserved, a cold wind snuffs out half of the votive candles in the sanctuary. Wet droplets, almost like tears, splash down onto the stone floor, next to a faint handprint.

A large willow tree populates the middle of the shrine’s expansive courtyard. Its long, hanging vines twist and tangle in the hot, humid wind. A man-made forest of bamboo surrounds its base, each inch of every stalk covered in brightly colored tanzaku slips.

Although his omamori stands out from the other tanzaku, Yugi ties his onto one of the middle pale-green bamboo fronds. As he secures the string in a tight knot, Yugi feels a weight lift from his chest. He releases his letter, his prayer, swallowing the memories that sting his eyes and threaten to bring tears to the surface. 

“I miss you, Atem,” he sighs, biting his lower lip. His voice waivers, and he takes a slow, steady breath to try and calm himself. Wiping his eyes, he backs away from the wishing tree. 

_Aibou?_

Yugi’s eyes widen, and his head whips back and forth. He scans the area around him, but doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Lingering on every face passing by, he searches for the voice’s owner. His breath comes in rapid bursts, his chest heaving with an anxious expectation. 

“Atem?” he calls out, daring to be hopeful. 

He feels sidelong glances burning into his cheeks as a pair of teenaged girls gawk his way. They blush and pretend to look away when his eyes meet theirs, whispering amongst themselves as they tie their tanzakus to another bamboo shoot.

Without warning, a bright blue pulse explodes across the sky, ripping through the horizon like a flashfire. A strong shockwave blows through the shrine, knocking everyone to the ground. The force throws Yugi several feet, where he lands on his hands. His palms scrape against the stones, but fortunately nothing seems to be broken -- just bruised. 

Screams pierce the courtyard as frightened citizens huddle together. The environment around them begins to change, shimmering with royal blue and gold translucence. Pieces begin to peel away, dissolving in little cube-like shapes as the pavement, trees, and shrine buildings change. In some places, the shrine almost looks new, with vibrant paint and new wood. A smell of fresh lacquer begins to bleed into the air, along with a deep must. 

“Wha--” Yugi breathes, crawling backwards as the stones pixelate beneath him. He recognizes the effect, his eyes widening as he snaps to realization. “The Cube!”

He stumbles to his feet, rushing forward through the altered environment. Tripping over growing vines and roots, he makes slow progress towards the stairs that lead down the hill. A pinkish sheen covers everything that’s been touched by the Cube’s effect, appearing more like outlines than like actual objects. 

_The Cube was destroyed. It had to have been, when Atem dissolved the Puzzle...right? The Millenium Items were gone, and the Quantum Cube was one of them, wasn’t it?_

That’s what he’d thought, but now he wasn’t so sure. Little other explanation came to mind when he considered his options. Whenever the supernatural stirred up trouble, an Item was always to blame. 

But who has the Cube? And how did they find it anyway? In the chaos of Diva’s defeat, no one had been looking for it. He cursed himself, wishing he hadn’t been distracted. 

_If something happens...if people get hurt...it will be my fault,_ Yugi thinks sadly to himself. _It was my job to make sure the Cube didn’t fall into the wrong hands. I should have made sure it was destroyed._

_I should have..._

A wave of anxiety and depression crashes over him, tears threatening to sting his eyes. 

His fingers start to tingle, burning with uncomfortable pins and needles as they lose feeling. He looks down, and sees that the tips are beginning to turn purple. The darkened, bruised stain slowly creeps towards his palm. Before long, it will reach his wrist, and then his arm. 

He’s seen this before. Felt it before. A year ago, when the world was upside down and he was dying. When he was withering away under the Netherworld’s influence, dissolving into another dimension. 

Stopping in his tracks, he let everyone else rush around him. Didn’t even flinch when bodies rammed into his own, pushing by in sheer chaos and panic. 

Was this how it all ended? Not a bang, but a whimper?

Taking his phone out of his pocket, he began to scroll through his contacts. He couldn’t let things end without saying what he had wanted to say for months. 

Anzu’s name flashed onto the screen. It was a call he had dreaded to make, had put off for ages. But it was time. 

The screaming and noise all around him faded into the background, as he focused on the rhythmic bleating of the ringer. 

_Beep beep beep beep….Beep beep beep beep._

Shutting his eyes, he lets everything fall away. The world, his fractured reality...nothing else mattered but what he was about to say to her. He needs his focus, to make sure he doesn’t get tongue-tied. It is now or never.

“Yugi!” yells a familiar, deep voice. A voice he never thought he would hear again. A voice that isn’t on the other side of his phone. 

Yugi’s eyes snap open, confused amethyst irises darting around. Searching for the source. 

Above him, a red dragon snaps its wings as it drifts closer to the ground. Each beat, each flap, generates strong gusts that stir and bend the trees around the shrine. Its giant lower jaw hinges open, loosing a deafening roar as it snakes towards him. 

_Slifer. Osiris’ dragon._

Citizens scream and flee all around him, running from the monster hurtling towards them. Even post-Battle City, Domino hadn’t quite adjusted to seeing dragons and the undead around their city.

A small figure perches on the dragon’s back, clinging to one of the large spikes growing out of its armored skin. A large, royal purple cape flows freely in the wind, billowing around the man’s built, tanned body. Gold glints in the dying light, flashing yellow and bright. His intense gaze locks squarely with Yugi’s, his brow permanently furrowed in concern and anger. 

“Atem?” Yugi responds, voice tinged with both surprise and concern.

As Slifer swoops down, its talons miss Yugi by a hair’s breadth. He braces against the swirling currents, shielding his face against the flying dust particles. 

“Yugi, grab my hand!” Atem calls out, offering his left hand to his former partner. 

Accepting it without hesitation, Yugi’s hoisted up onto Slifer’s back. He snakes his arms around Atem’s waist, holding on tightly as the dragon rockets back up into the sky. A trapped scream remains locked behind his gritted teeth as Domino falls away beneath them.

“How...How are you here?” Yugi chatters, shivering against the cooler temperature of the upper atmosphere. Atem removes his cloak, throwing over Yugi’s shoulders to keep him warm.

“The barrier is gone. The wall separating our dimensions...it’s been destroyed.”

Yugi knew as much, but it just didn’t make sense. “The Quantum Cube?”

He can feel Atem nod, solemn and stoic as always. 

An unspoken question flits between them. _Who?_

“Kaiba,” Atem replies, looking back over his shoulder at Yugi.


End file.
